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Information about Cockatoos

This article is about the family of birds. For the town in Australia, see Cockatoo, Victoria.
Cockatoos
Enlarge picture
Umbrella Cockatoo

Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Psittaciformes
Family:Cacatuidae
GR Gray, 1840
Subfamily


Microglossinae
Calyptorhynchinae
Cacatuinae


A cockatoo is any of the 21 bird species belonging to the family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae family (the true parrots), they make up the order Psittaciformes. The name cockatoo originated from the Malay name for these birds, kaka(k)tua (either from kaka "parrot" + tuwah, or "older sister" from kakak "sister" + tua, "old").

Cockatoos share many features with other parrots including the characteristic curved beak shape and a zygodactyl foot, with two forward toes and two backwards toes. They differ, however in a number of characteristics, including the often spectacular movable headcrest, the presence of a gall bladder and some other anatomical details, and their lack of the Dyck texture feather composition which causes the bright blues and greens seen in true parrots. Also Cockatoo species are, on average, larger than the average size of true parrots; however, the cockatiel, the smallest Cockatoo, is a small bird, and some of the largest parrots including the Hyacinth Macaw (the longest parrot) and the flightless Kakapo (the heaviest parrot), are true parrots. Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, but it is not resolved whether or not other living lineages of parrots (such as the lories and lorikeets) are as distinct as they are.

Cockatoos have a much more restricted range than the true parrots, occurring naturally only in Australia and nearby islands. Eleven of the 21 species exist in the wild only in Australia, while seven species occur in Indonesia, New Guinea, and other south Pacific islands. Three species occur in both New Guinea and Australia.

Cockatoos as endangered or vulnerable species

All species of cockatoo are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (also known as CITES), which makes the import, export and trade in all wild-caught parrots and cockatoos illegal.

The following cockatoo species are protected on the CITES appendix 1 list of endangered species. All of the other cockatoo species are protected on the CITES appendix 2 list of vulnerable species.

Systematics and evolution

Phylogeny of the family Cacatuidae based on Brown & Toft (1999)


Brown & Toft (1999) reviewed the existing evidence and additional mitochondrial 12S rRNA sequence data to arrive at a well-supported phylogeny of the cockatoos. They could distinguish 3 subfamilies:
  1. The all-black Palm Cockatoo represents distinct lineage that diverged early; it was previously sometimes grouped with the other black species but this is incorrect.
  2. The dark cockatoos; sexually dichromatic species which have ample melanin in their plumage and some red, yellow or orange on wing, tail and face, barred feathers on wing, tail and/or body as well as contrasting ear area spotting in females, while males have the corresponding feathers unbarred and may lack the ear spotting. This group includes the remaining black cockatoos, the Gang-gang Cockatoo and, interestingly, the cockatiel which had previously been placed in a subfamily of its own (Nymphicinae) or even as a broad-tailed parrot.
  3. The remaining species, which are all hypomelanistic and not sexually dimorphic.


The genera Calyptorhynchus and Cacatua can be further resolved into two subgenera each, and in the latter case as a distinct third lineage the white-and-pink Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, which is intermediate in coloration between the grey-and-pink Galah and the white Cacatua. It is best recognized as a monotypic genus Lophocroa. Indeed, pending further research, all subgenera could conceivably be raised to genus rank.

Intron 7 of nuclear β-fibrinogen sequence data suggests that the Microglossinae may have diverged later, and that the cockatiel might be distinct enough to warrant recognition of the Nymphicinae (Astuti, 2004?), but in other aspects agrees with the rRNA and newly-interpreted morphological data.

The fossil record of cockatoos is even more limited than that of parrots in general, with only one truly ancient cockatoo fossil known: A species of Cacatua, most probably subgenus Licmetis, was found in Early Miocene (16-23 mya) deposits of Riversleigh, Australia (Boles, 1993). In Melanesia, subfossil bones of Cacatua species which apparently did not survive early human settlement were found on New Caledonia and New Ireland. The bearing of these fossils on cockatoo evolution and phylogeny is fairly limited, except that the Riversleigh fossil allows some tentative dating of the divergence of subfamilies.
Enlarge picture
A sulphur-crested cockatoo

Family Cacatuidae

Popular culture

Cockatoos often have pronounced responses to musical sounds, and numerous videos exist showing the birds "dancing" to popular music, although it is not known if their musical perception is any different from that of other birds. A search with the terms "dancing cockatoo" yields over 200 results on YouTube, mostly by private owners.

References

  • Astuti, Dwi (2004?): A phylogeny of cockatoos (Aves: Psittaciformes) inferred from DNA sequences of the seventh intron of nuclear β-fibrinogen gene. Doctoral work, Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Japan. PDF fulltext
  • Boles, W.E. (1993): A new cockatoo (Psittaciformes: Cacatuidae) from the Tertiary of Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland, and an evaluation of rostral characters in the systematics of parrots. Ibis 135: 8-18.
  • Brown, D.M. & Toft, C.A. (1999): Molecular systematics and biogeography of the cockatoos (Psittaciformes: Cacatuidae). Auk 116(1): 141-157.

External links

  • MyToos.com - site pertaining to cockatoo ownership
Cockatoo
Melbourne, Victoria

Cockatoo Railway Station nameboard

Population: 4,560 (2006) [1]

Postcode: 3781

Elevation: 158 m


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C. alba

Binomial name
Cacatua alba
Müller, 1776

The Umbrella Cockatoo, Cacatua alba (also known as the White Cockatoo
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Aves
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders

About two dozen - see section below

Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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Psittaciformes
Wagler, 1830

Systematics

(but see below)

Family Cacatuidae (cockatoos)
  • Subfamily Microglossinae (Palm Cockatoo)
  • Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos)
  • Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos)

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George Robert Gray (July 8, 1808 - May 6, 1872) was an English zoologist and author and head of the ornithological section of the British Museum in London for forty-one years. He was the younger brother of John Edward Gray and the son of the botanist Samuel Frederick Gray.
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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1810s  1820s  1830s  - 1840s -  1850s  1860s  1870s
1837 1838 1839 - 1840 - 1841 1842 1843

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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Microglossinae

Genus: Probosciger
Kuhl, 1820

Species: P. aterrimus

Binomial name
Probosciger aterrimus
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Aves
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders

About two dozen - see section below

Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Code which applies.
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Psittacidae
Illiger, 1811

Subfamily
Loriinae (lories and lorikeets)
Psittacinae (typical parrots and allies)

The true parrots are about 330 species of bird belonging to the Psittacidae
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Psittacidae
Illiger, 1811

Subfamily
Loriinae (lories and lorikeets)
Psittacinae (typical parrots and allies)

The true parrots are about 330 species of bird belonging to the Psittacidae
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order (Latin: ordo, plural ordines) is a rank between class and family (termed a taxon at that rank). The superorder is a rank between class and order. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Code which applies.
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Psittaciformes
Wagler, 1830

Systematics

(but see below)

Family Cacatuidae (cockatoos)
  • Subfamily Microglossinae (Palm Cockatoo)
  • Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos)
  • Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos)

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Malay}}} 
Writing system: Rumi (Latin alphabet) (official) and Jawi (Arabic script); historically written in Pallava, Kawi and Rencong 
Official status
Official language of:
The template is . Please use instead.

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The crest is a prominent feature exhibited by several bird and dinosaur species on their heads. Fleshy crests are called cockscombs (q.v.); this article discusses feather crests.
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The gallbladder (or cholecyst, sometimes gall bladder) is a pear-shaped organ that stores about 50 ml of bile (or "gall") until the body needs it for digestion.
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Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are the outstanding characteristic that distinguishes the Class Aves from all other living groups. Other Theropoda also had feathers (see Feathered dinosaurs).
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Nymphicus
Wagler, 1832

Species: N. hollandicus

Binomial name
Nymphicus hollandicus
(Kerr, 1792)


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A. hyacinthinus

Binomial name
Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
(Latham, 1790)

Native to the forests of central South America, the Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
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Strigopini

Genus: Strigops
Gray, 1845

Species: S. habroptilus

Binomial name
Strigops habroptilus
Gray, 1845
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Loriinae
Selby, 1836

Genera

Chalcopsitta
Eos
Pseudeos
Trichoglossus
Lorius
Phigys
Vini
Glossopsitta
Charmosyna
Oreopsittacus

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Anthem
Advance Australia Fair [1]


Capital Canberra

Largest city Sydney
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Motto
"Bhinneka Tunggal Ika"   (Old Javanese)
"Unity in Diversity"
National ideology: Pancasila[1]
Anthem
Indonesia Raya
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New Guinea<nowiki />

Political division of New Guinea

Geography
<nowiki/>
Location Island north of Australian continent
Coordinates
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Earth's oceans
(World Ocean)
  • Arctic Ocean
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Indian Ocean
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Southern Ocean
An ocean (from Ωκεανός, Okeanos
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CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
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This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
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